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I have 3 longboards, 2 hand shaped polys, and 1 epoxy popout. The handshapes are 1. Stewart Hydro Hull 9-0 2. Ricky Carrol 9-1. The popout is a 10-2 by Southpoint, I bought it about 10 years ago.

I enjoy all of these boards quite a bit, but my favorite is the popout. The board is durable as they come, never had so much as a ding repair or heal dent, does not yellow in the sun, and has a really nice feel to it. As far as how it rides, I am not sure I can say I prefer the feel of the popout or the polys.

Having more or less no preference as far as how the different boards ride, I am most likely inclined to go with a popout for my next longboard based on the quality and toughness a popout provides. Logs are expensive and easy to ding in transport, and in my opinion, logs should last a long long time, so the toughness factor wins out.

For short boards, I go local custom poly boards every time. I have yet to try a pop out short board.

the epoxy construction of the popout is probably why it's so durable. have you noticed any stiffness to it compared to the polys? epoxy is stronger and stiffer than poly

i agree w/ you that logs should last a long time...but i'm also looking for a particular "feel" when riding my log, so a popout isn't going to work for me. i like my logs heavy, so 8 or 10oz cloth or volan is the call for me. w/ that kind of mass behind it, they glide for days.

I borrowed a heavily glassed poly like that a few years ago and liked it very much. Definitely would not be opposed. Regardless of preference, I think it is great to support your local craftsman, and great to have choices.

the epoxy construction of the popout is probably why it's so durable. have you noticed any stiffness to it compared to the polys? epoxy is stronger and stiffer than poly

You know man, my epoxy has great flex in my opinion, I can feel some serious spring when I make deep turns, but it feels right. I weigh 255, so maybe the stiffness in the board is good for my size. My poly boards when I ride them in heavier surf feel like they are going to break when I perform really deep turns, but maybe that is just because I am more accustomed to the stiffer board, or maybe because they are relatively thinly glassed compared to the board the commenter above mentioned.

A few years back I said I'd never buy a Tuflite. Then I bought a used Stretch F4 and that changed my mind completely. It's easily the best shortboard I've ever had for small to medium sized surf. The board floats better than a regular board which allows me to ride it smaller than my standard shortboard. Two of my friends rode it and decided to buy one brand new soon after.

I tried going with a local shaper and I got decent boards from him, but they seem to just get beat up to fast do to glassing issues. Don't know what I'll get next. Maybe a local made longboard.

Some of you guys are comparing apples to oranges. ANY epoxy is going to wayyy more durable than any poly. It's not more durable because its a popout, its more durable because its epoxy.

If you are talking about a board from overseas with standard poly construction compared to the american made one, then in general the american made glass job is going to be much much better and take longer to get heal dents, delam, etc.

The difference in overseas shaped epoxy and american shaped epoxy isn't going to be as noticeable because they are going to be super tough either way.

Some of you guys are comparing apples to oranges. ANY epoxy is going to wayyy more durable than any poly. It's not more durable because its a popout, its more durable because its epoxy.

the glassing has a lot to do w/ it, not the fact that the board is "epoxy". all epoxy is is the type of resin used to bond the fiberglass to the foam. sure, eps foam is a bit less dense, thus floating marginally better, & closed cell, thus resisting denting more, but if you glass an eps blank w/ 4oz glass, it's still going to take a beating. the great thing about eps is that you can glass it heavier but still have the finished product come out close to the same weight as a ploy that's glassed lighter. the glassing schedule is what makes it more durable. not the foam or resin used.

i feel like the term "epoxy board" is being thrown around far too casually & w/out regard for it's actual meaning. ll tuflites are epoxy, but not all epoxies are tuflites.

I'm just referring to epoxy-built boards, I don't know that much about exactly why epoxy boards are way more durable, but they are. You can't compare the strength of a poly board to an epoxy. I suppose if you had an extremely heavily glassed poly it could have comparable strength.